Pouring spout attachment

ABSTRACT

A flexible resilient body is shaped to form a vertex and to engage and conform to the adjacent exterior surface at the upper edge of an open top container. A clamp carried by the body engages the upper edge of the open top container between the clamp and the body, with an upper surface of the body in line with the upper edge of the open top container to provide a flow path to the vertex for liquid poured from the container.

United States Patent [1 Storm .Feb. 4, 1975 POURING SPOUT ATTACHMENT [76] Inventor: John G. Storm, 5210 Villa Way,

Minneapolis, Minn. 55424 [22] Filed: Dec. 1, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 311,128

[52] US. Cl. 222/569 [51] Int. Cl B65d 25/48 [58] Field of Search 222/567, 569, 570, 571,

222/420, 421, 573; 220/85 R, 85 SP [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,298,031 3/1919 Fromhagen 222/570 X 1,845,966 2/1932 Flautt 222/567 2,653,616 9/1953 Selgas 222/567 X 3,074,604 1/1963 Baroud 222/569 3,430,804 3/1969 Bernas 222/567 X 3,463,366 8/1969 Spencer 222/570 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 217,838 6/1924 Great Britain 222/570 Primary Examiner-R0bert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Francis J. Bartuska Attorney, Agent, or- Firm-Ralph F. Merchant [57] ABSTRACT A flexible resilient body is shaped to form a vertex and to engage and conform to the adjacent exterior surface at the upper edge of an open top container. A clamp carried by the body engages the upper edge of the open top container between the clamp and the body, with an upper surface of the body in line with the upper edge of the'open top'container to provide a flow path to the vertex for liquid poured from the container.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures POURING SPOUT ATTACHMENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to pouring spouts and more particularly relates to a pouring spout attachment which may be attached to the edge of an open top container to provide a flow path for liquid being poured from the container.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is a well known fact that attempts to pour liquids from open top containers (i.e. common water glasses, cylindrical thin wall metallic containers and the like) often results in the liquid following a flow path down the side of the container due to capillary attraction. This is particularly true when an attempt is made to pour relatively small amounts of liquid from the container, with the result that such poured liquid does not reach the point it is intended to reach.

Pouring spouts for open top containers, designed to prevent liquid being poured from the container from following such a flow path, have long been known in the art. However, pouring spouts of this character have been highly unsatisfactory in that they required modification of the container, were somewhat complicated in construction or were not adapted to be attached and detached from containers of various sizes and shapes. Examples of pouring spouts having the above objectionable features are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 261,330, issued on July 18, 1882 to G. H. Freeman; U.S. Pat. No. 2,353,521, issued July 11, 1944 to Eugene C. Steffens; U.S. Pat. No. 2,617,563, issued Nov. 11, 1952 to S. Miller; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,732,109, issued Jan. 24, 1956 to Milburn Siddons.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a pouring spout attachment which is simple in construction, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and which is easily attached to a container with a-minimum of skill.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the class above described which can be attached to open top containers having various sizes and shapes.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the class above described which may be readily removed from one container and attached to a second container.

With the above objects in mind, the present invention includes a flexible, resilient body having converging side edge portions which form a vertex at the juncture thereof and a base edge portion which connects the side edge portions. The base edge portion and side edge portions cooperate to define a normally horizontally disposed upper surface. The base edge portion is shaped to conform to the adjacent exterior surface of a container on which it is to be mounted. A clamp carried by the body holds the base edge portion in engagement with the adjacent exterior surface of the container, and positions the upper surface of the body generally in line with an edge of the open top of the container. The edge of the container is engaged between the base edge portion and the clamp to provide a flow path to the vertex of the body for liquid poured from the open top of the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring particularly to the drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a pouring spout attachment constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in top plan thereof showing the pouring spout attachement of FIG. I mounted on an open top container;

FIG. 3 is a view in bottom plan thereof, shown on a reduced scale;

FIG. 4 is a detailed sectional view seen generally from the line 44 of FIG. 2; and V FIG. 5 is a view generally similar to FIG. 4 showing the pouring spout in a position to provide a flow path for liquid from a container on which the pouring spout is mounted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring with greater particularity to the drawings, there is shown a pouring spout attachment, indicated generally by the numeral 10, which may be detachably mounted on an open top container 11. As shown, the pouring spout attachment 10 comprises a body 12 of sustantial thickness having converging side edge portions l3, 14, the juncture of which forms a vertex 15. A base edge portion 16 connects the side edge portions 13, 14 and cooperates therewith to define a normally horizontally disposed, planar upper surface 17. As seen in the drawings, the base edge portion 16 has a curved surface which is generally normal to the upper surface 17 and is arcuately shaped to conform generally to the adjacent exterior surface at the top edge of the con tainer II on which it is to be mounted.

Body 12 is formed from a flexible resilient material whereby the arcuate or curved surface of the base edge portion 16 can conform to the adjacent curved surface of the container 11 on which it is mounted. As seen particularly in FIG. 2, the dotted line showing A illustrates the conformation of the body 12 prior to attachment to a container 11, which attachment is shown by the full lines. The dotted line showing, indicated at B, illustrates the attachment of the pouring spout 10 to a container 11 having an adjacent surface formed on a curve having a somewhat larger radius. Thus, FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates the adaptability of the pouring spout 10 for attachment to containers 11 having differ ent sizes or shapes.

Mounting means, in the nature of a clamp 20, are carried by the body 12 to hold the curved surface of the base edge portion 16 tightly in engagement with the adjacent surface of the container 11 and the upper surface 17 generally in line with the upper edge of the container II. Clamp 20 includes a horizontally extended leg portion 21 which is secured to the body 12, as at 22, to extend along the upper surface 17. Leg portion 21 extends from a point adjacent the vertex 15 to a vertical leg portion 23, the leg portion 21 generally bisecting the base edge portion I6. Vertical leg portion 23, which depends from the horizontal leg portion 21, is spaced from the curved surface of the base edge portion 16 and terminates at its lower end in a coiled torsion spring 24. A clamping arm 25 is carried by the lower end of the vertical leg 23, through the medium of the coiled torsion spring 24, and projects upwardly therefrom to a position wherein the upper end of the clamping arm 25 is looped over the horizontally extended leg portion 21, as at 25', in close proximity to the curved surface of the base edge portion 16. It will be noted that the clamp 20 is formed a single piece of spring steel wire and that the particular construction of the clamping arm 25 together with the coiled torsion spring 24 permits guided movements of the clamping arm 25 toward and away from the curved surface of the base edge portion 16. The coiled torsion spring 24 tends to bias the clamping arm 25 in a direction toward the curved surface of the base edge portion 16.

As best shown in FIG. 2, when the pouring spout attachment is mounted on the upper edge of the open top container 11, the bias of the clamping arm 25 tends to force the curved surface of the base edge portion 16 into tight engagement with the adjacent surface of the container 11. Inasmuch as the curved surface of the base edge portion 16 is formed on a relatively small radius, such as indicated at A in FIG. 2, positioning of the upper edge of the open topped container between the clamping arm 25 and the adjacent portion of the curved surface of the base edge portion 16 causes the opposite end portions 26 of the curved surface of the base edge portion 16 to assume the full line position of FIG. 2. The natural bias of the flexible resilient material of the body 12 tends to help maintain the opposite portions 26 of the body 12 in tight engagement with the adjacent surface of the container 11. In addition, it will be seen by reference to FIG. 4 that engagement of the horizontally extended leg portion 21 with the upper edge of the container 11 provides a stop which positions the upper surface 17 of the body 12 generally in line with the upper edge of the open top of the container 11. The above described structure provides a pouring spout attachment 10 which can readily be mounted on a great variety of containers 11. Because of the tight engagement of the base edge portion 16 along its entire length, no flow path for liquid poured from the container 11 is provided down the side wall thereof. As can be seen particularly in FIG. 5, the generally horizontally extending leg portion 21 and upper surface 17 tend to provide a flow path, by capillary attraction, for liquid being poured from the container 11 toward the vertex of the body 12.

As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the side edge portions l3, 14 have converging side wall surfaces which are generally normal to the upper surface 17 and form a drip line 27 at the juncture thereof. As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the drip line 27 and a portion of the side wall surfaces adjacent thereto each have an included angle with respect to the upper surface 17 which is somewhat less than 90 degrees. Referring further to FIG. 5, wherein the container is tipped a considerable amount, it can be seen that the angular relationship of the drip line 27 and side wall surfaces adjacent thereto relative to the upper surface 17 tends to terminate the flow path at the vertex 15, because the drip line 27 and adjacent side wall surfaces are inclined upwardly from vertex 15. Thus, liquid flowing from the container 1] along the leg portion 2] to the vertex 15 is prevented from following a flow path down the outer surface of the side wall of the container 11. When the container II is tipped only slightly to pour liquid therefrom, the flow path for liquid being poured from the container ll will then terminate at the lowermost portion of the drip line 27 which is indicated at 28. The line 27 terminates at a lower surface 29 of the body 12 which is still inclined upwardly from the low point 28 so that liquid from the container is prevented from flowing down the exterior surface of the container side wall and relatively small amounts ofliquid may be directed toward a target with reasonable accuracy.

While I have shown and described the specific embodiment of the present invention, further modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. I desire it to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular form shown and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l.,A pouring spout attachment for open top containers comprising:

a. a flexible resilient body having converging side edge portions, the juncture of which forms a vertex, and having a base edge portion connecting said side edge portions;

b. said side edge portions and base edge portions cooperating to define a planar upper surface;

c. said base edge portion having a curved surface which is generally normal to said upper surface, said curved formed on a radius that is less than that of containers on which it is to be mounted; and

d. a mounting clamp carried by said body for resil' iently engaging the inner surface of the container upon which the spout attachment is secured at a single point, said mounting clamp including:

i. a mounting element having a first leg portion secured to said body and extending along said upper surface from a point adjacent said vertex and bisecting base edge portion to form a capillary flow path;

ii. a second leg portion depending from said first leg portion, spaced from said base edge portion;

iii. a clamping arm carried by said second. leg portion and movable toward and away from said base edge portion to engage a container which may be inserted between said base edge portion and said clamping arm; and

iv. said clamping arm is guided in said movement toward and away from said base portion by said first leg portion.

2. The pouring spout attachment of claim 1 wherein said first leg portion forms a stop means adjacent said curved surface for engaging the upper edge of the container and positioning said upper surface in a plane generally coincident with the plane of the container upper edge. 

1. A pouring spout attachment for open top containers comprising: a. a flexible resilient body having converging side edge portions, the juncture of which forms a vertex, and Having a base edge portion connecting said side edge portions; b. said side edge portions and base edge portions cooperating to define a planar upper surface; c. said base edge portion having a curved surface which is generally normal to said upper surface, said curved formed on a radius that is less than that of containers on which it is to be mounted; and d. a mounting clamp carried by said body for resiliently engaging the inner surface of the container upon which the spout attachment is secured at a single point, said mounting clamp including: i. a mounting element having a first leg portion secured to said body and extending along said upper surface from a point adjacent said vertex and bisecting base edge portion to form a capillary flow path; ii. a second leg portion depending from said first leg portion, spaced from said base edge portion; iii. a clamping arm carried by said second leg portion and movable toward and away from said base edge portion to engage a container which may be inserted between said base edge portion and said clamping arm; and iv. said clamping arm is guided in said movement toward and away from said base portion by said first leg portion.
 2. The pouring spout attachment of claim 1 wherein said first leg portion forms a stop means adjacent said curved surface for engaging the upper edge of the container and positioning said upper surface in a plane generally coincident with the plane of the container upper edge. 